Discovering Alicia Read online

  “Too late, darlin’. I already saw ‘em,” he commented with a grin. “Should I ask my question again?”

  Question? He asked a question? How did he expect her to form a coherent thought, let alone converse, what with him standing there in all his half-naked glory? She drew in a few ragged breaths.

  “Elementary education. I teach second grade.”

  Brad took a few steps, closing the distance between them.

  “Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m recently unemployed,” Ali said with a sigh.

  He stopped mere inches away and reached out to tuck a piece of her wet hair behind her ear. “I’m a big believer in honesty, Alicia.” He trailed his finger down her cheek. “You’re as pretty as a picture, all flustered and staring at me with those big doe eyes. If you don’t want me to kiss you, now would be the time to speak up.”

  She wouldn’t have uttered a word if the hounds of hell were snapping at her butt. Ali was stunned to see his pupils dilate with desire. Brad cupped the back of her head and placed his lips gently on hers. His kiss was tender, coaxing, and magical. She tentatively rested one palm on his side, just above his waistband. His skin was warm and smooth, the muscles underneath taut. He adjusted his stance slightly and wrapped his arm around her, his hand lying scandalously low on her back. Ali sighed and snuggled at bit closer. Her heart threatened to pound out of her chest when he responded immediately. He pulled her tightly against his body, delightfully crushing her breasts against his chest. Tastes and nibbles quickly escalated to feverish parrying of tongues. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he massaged her back.

  When they were finally forced to break the kiss in order to catch their breath, Alicia dropped her head to his shoulder. Brad cradled both cheeks of her ass and moved her seductively against his massive erection. The reality of what she’d just done, what he obviously and naturally wanted to do next hit her like a ton of bricks. She wiggled out of his embrace, desperately needing space to get herself under control.

  What the fuck was she doing? Granted, they weren’t strangers, but spending time in a lab, three days a week, for one semester, almost ten years ago, didn’t warrant this level of friendliness when running into each other in the woods! Hell, she hadn’t even recognized him at first. She closed her eyes and ran shaky fingers through her long, damp hair.

  “You wanna tell me what’s wrong, Ali?” he asked quietly.

  “Nothing, everything’s great. The kiss was great. You’re great.” She attempted a smile. “Wow, it’s really getting dark fast. I should go back.” She fumbled for the flashlight hanging from her belt, and after a few tries, was able to turn it on. She then pulled the soaking, crumpled up map out of her pocket. “It was great to see you again, Brad. Maybe we’ll run into each other again while I’m here.” Ali turned and headed in what she hoped was the right direction, but in less than two steps, a large hand wrapped around her arm.

  “Freeze, woman.” She did as he ordered. “I, too, appreciate all of the greatness that’s happened tonight,” Brad whispered against her ear. “Especially when you melted in my arms.” Ali gasped when he pressed firmly against her backside. “Why are you running away, skittish as a scared rabbit? Nothing’s gonna happen that you don’t want, and you want badly.”

  Alicia spun around to face him, so embarrassed and horny she couldn’t think straight. In a hot second, Brad Compton, geeky science guy, now ultimate sex-on-a-stick guy had her almost forgetting the lessons she’d learned the hard way. “I’m so, so sorry, Brad; please…” She stared up at him, horrified when a single tear trickled down her cheek.

  He brushed it away with a feather-light touch of his thumb. “Come on, Ali; let’s get you home.”

  Chapter Two

  Brad replayed the events of the previous night over in his head for the umpteenth time as he drove down the county road. He’d had a hell of a lot of hours to ponder the situation. Jacking off and taking two cold showers had done nothing to ease his raging desire when he’d gotten home, just like they’d never helped back in college.

  It’d taken every ounce of self control he possessed, plus a few he hadn’t known he had, to gallantly see Alicia back to the cottage, offer a respectful goodnight, and walk away. Her ragged breathing, hardened nipples, and enthusiastic response to his kiss all clearly indicated she was attracted to him, but then she jerked away, and that damn tear rolled down her cheek. Why had she gone from rubbing her hot little self against him to apologizing and trying to run in the blink of an eye? Was there a boyfriend or husband in the picture? Brad went over their conversation again, certain she’d said “I” rented, not “we” rented.

  “I’m such an ass,” he muttered, frowning. Wouldn’t most women be weirded out by a near stranger doing what he did? He wouldn’t have pushed for anything more than what she was comfortable with, but she didn’t know that. The extent of their relationship had taken place in a science lab, three hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for one measly semester. Brad had never let on that he’d had monstrous crush on her. Their conversations had revolved around a different kind of chemistry, and him desperately trying to keep her from blowing things up or sending unsuspecting victims to the hospital.

  That was ten years ago, but he’d recognized her instantly when he found her sprawled on the ground. Alicia was no longer a gangly eighteen year old, and his libido had responded instantly. She was definitely all grown up woman now. Thank God she’d kept her incredible, curly red hair long. How many times had he fantasized about that fiery mass tickling his thighs as she went down on him?

  What an interesting turn of events to have her staying in his neck of the woods for the entire month. Brad shifted in his seat as images of sharing some quality playtime with Alicia Lawrence set his blood boiling. Long term hook-ups weren’t his gig, so maybe luck was on his side, and she was open to a little no–strings-attached fun of the nasty kind.

  Brad pulled up next to the silver SUV sitting in Aunt Dottie’s driveway, the very same one that had been parked in front of the cottage last night. He stayed in the truck, unsure if he should disturb the women… Oh, who the hell was he kidding? He just didn’t want to walk in with noticeable hard-on.

  * * * *

  “I’m so glad your trip went well, and that you’re finally here, and that you like the cottage, dear,” Aunt Dottie enthused while handing Alicia a glass of iced tea. “It’s so sweet of you to come visiting so soon.”

  “Aunt Dottie, I’ve been as excited to meet you as I have been to get my vacation started! I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed our emails.”

  “That’s very nice of you to say, dear. I completely understand that my tendency to be long-winded annoys some, but at this stage in my life, I figure I’ve earned the right to speak my piece. If people don’t like it, they can walk away, or hang up the phone, or shut off the computer for that matter.” She laughed and raised her glass in salute before downing a healthy swig.

  Alicia had conjured up a mental picture of Aunt Dottie that was so dead on she was still having trouble not staring at the woman sitting across from her. Ali guessed she was maybe in her early sixties. Her gray hair was arranged haphazardly on top of her head in a loose bun. Her cheeks were full and rosy, her eyes bright and expressive. She was more round than tall and wore a multi-colored housedress. Grandmotherly was the term that came to mind.

  “I can’t imagine you’ll need them, but there are extra blankets in the cedar chest in the small bedroom, and oh, I forgot to tell you, the washer has been known to bounce across the floor during the spin cycle if it’s filled too full.”

  “That might be entertaining to see.” Ali grinned. “I promise I’ll call you if I can’t find something or have any questions.”

  “Perfect! And make sure you call Brad if you have any more trouble in the woods.”

  “You heard about that already?”

  “Of course, dear. I spoke with him first thing this morning. Damn poachers. The DNR and our lawmen do all t
hey can, but they always come back. Most of this region is a wildlife protection area. We have the largest population of moose in the state, actually in this part of the country, and you’ll see deer, red foxes and most likely even wolves while you’re here. Hopefully, if you see any bears, it’s from far away,” she said with a smile. “Hunting is permitted, but there are very strict guidelines, and the season is short. Some people, though, have no respect for the animals or the land. It breaks my heart, and makes me so angry!” Aunt Dottie leaned forward over the kitchen table. “I caught one of ‘em myself, just last year,” she stated in a lowered tone. “He and I had a nice long chat while we waited for the authorities.”

  “He hung around to be arrested?”

  “Surprisingly, he had the good sense not to tempt me to use the shotgun I had aimed at his man parts. He was quite the captive audience to what I was saying.” Both women laughed. “Enough about that,. I’m ready to hear all about what happened last night! What do you think about Brad? Did you two hit it off? He’s a good man, dear, hardworking, honest, and he’s not bad on the eyes either, eh?”

  Ali was trying to figure out exactly how much detail she wanted to go into when a loud knock sounded.

  “Come in,” Aunt Dottie called out.

  Ali’s pulse ramped up to overdrive when Brad strolled into the room. He looked beyond incredible in his uniform. Memories of their kiss, of being held against his hard body, and the way she’d reacted sent a shiver along her nerve endings.

  “Aunt Dottie,” Brad acknowledged with a slight tilt of his head before turning his full attention and killer grin in Ali’s direction. “Alicia. How’s your foot?”

  “Fine. Well, my toe’s black and blue, but other than that, I’m all good.” She wiggled her foot to punctuate her point.

  “Glad to hear it, sweetheart.” At his use of the endearment, Ali glanced over at Aunt Dottie. She was beaming like the Cheshire cat. “We removed four more traps this morning, and although I’m reasonably confident there aren’t any more, you need to be extra careful.”

  “Let it go, Brad.”

  “Can’t. It’s my sworn duty to protect all who inhabit this land.”

  “Get over yourself.” Ali rolled her eyes. “You’re a forest ranger, not a frickin Jedi knight.”

  “Nice geeky movie reference, but you have absolutely no idea who I am now, Alicia.” He moved to tower over her chair. “I would have been more than happy to continue getting reacquainted last night if you hadn’t…”

  Ali gasped.

  “This is utterly marvelous,” Aunt Dottie interrupted, clapping her hands and giggling. “Better than I’d even dared to hope for. How do you know each other?”

  “Michigan State,” they answered in unison.

  “College sweethearts?”

  Ali didn’t miss the hopeful tone in her question.

  “Sadly, no.”

  Brad’s answer shocked the crap out of Alicia. She met his eyes and saw a myriad of emotions reflected there. “He’s kidding, Aunt Dottie.” Ali said quickly.

  “Is he, dear?”

  “Absolutely. He made a point last night of reminding me which of my shortcomings he disliked most.” Ali experienced a bit of triumph when Aunt Dottie fixed a most unhappy frown in Brad’s direction.

  “Wow, I hope you don’t make it a habit to only tell part of the facts of things to your impressionable little students, Alicia,” Brad remarked with more than a bit of censure.

  “Sounds to me as if you all have lots to discuss and work out. Thank goodness she’s here for a nice long stay, isn’t it, Brad? Why, you should take her to The Tavern, and, of course, the fair.”

  Ali decided it was high time to get this conversation under control. It was pretty obvious Aunt Dottie was working herself into a matchmaking frenzy.

  “Four weeks isn’t all that long, Aunt Dottie, and I actually already have plenty of plans.”

  “Really, may I ask what those are?” Brad sounded truly interested.

  “My first order of business is to not stress over the joyous task of job hunting until I’m back home. To that end, my plan is to sleep whenever and for however long I want to, take extended walks, read until my eyes cross, and catch and eat fish until I’m sick of them, which will take a heck of a lot of fish!”

  “You wield a fishing rod, with hooks?” Brad dramatically shuddered, and Alicia attempted to kick him. For a big man, he could move damn fast. She missed; he laughed.

  “Yeah, I do, clean and cook’em, too. You should see the ones I caught this morning.”

  “Love to. I get off work at five; what time should I come over?” He flashed a tag-you’re-it smirk.

  “Seven,” she answered with a slightly wobbly grin. Hell, at least she could control the time he arrived, for an evening she’d intended to spend alone.

  “There, you see? Easy as pie,” Aunt Dottie declared. “Brad, we’ll discuss the trap situation later. Why don’t you toddle along so Alicia and I can get back to our girl talk.” She made a shooing motion.

  “Oh, and I’m in charge of the grill tonight, Brad,” Alicia added.

  “Then I’ll bring the fire extinguisher,” he said with a laugh and walked out of the house.

  “Dear, I’m nearly dying of curiosity. Fill me in and don’t spare the details!”

  Aunt Dottie was dabbing at the corners of her eyes and complaining of laugh-induced rib pain when Alicia wrapped up the short but eventful story of her and Brad’s college acquaintance.

  “So it must have been quite a welcome surprise when your protector from the past showed up last night?”

  Ali fidgeted with the hem of her t-shirt. “You might think so, if I’d recognized him. Well, I mean, he seemed really familiar, but come on, he looks nothing like he did back then. It didn’t take me long to figure things out though, after we fell into the river.”

  “You fell into the… Oh my, what happened next?” Aunt Dottie shook her head and chuckled.

  “In the span of mere minutes, I was able to send enough mixed signals that I can’t figure out why Brad wants anything more to do with me.”

  “He made short work of finagling an invite for dinner, dear, due to being as attracted to you as you are to him. There’s no reason to over-think the situation; simply let nature take its course.” Aunt Dottie winked.

  “My track record with men sucks, Aunt Dottie. I’m the poster child for making extremely bad decisions.” Ali’s cheeks burned.

  “Alicia, don’t waste precious energy regretting past choices. Learn from them and move forward.”

  “Easier said than done,” Ali replied with a sigh. “Until last night, I was doing okay with my life plan of swearing off men entirely.”

  “Won’t work; it’s unnatural.”

  “Nuns do it.”

  “As part of their calling, this is then natural for them. Denying your true self will always lead to heartache.” Aunt Dottie stood and held open her arms. “Give me a hug, dear.” Ali went into her embrace. “It’s time for you to go and start enjoying your vacation. Visit again soon. I’ve always got an available ear and lots of unsolicited advice.”

  * * * *

  Alicia checked her look in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door. She’d changed her clothes three times, finally settling on a yellow sundress and flip flops. Despite a healthy dose of sunscreen, after lounging outside for hours, her nose and cheeks were peppered with new freckles. She was pretty sure there were a few extra wrinkles in her forehead, too. Instead of reading, Ali had spent the afternoon assessing her dating history, and a common denominator had made itself clear. Even with the two men she’d invested a substantial amount of time with, she’d never felt comfortable enough to be one hundred percent herself, physically or emotionally.

  “Aunt Dottie is one insightful lady,” Ali commented aloud while applying a bit of mascara and lip gloss, and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. As satisfied with her look as possible, she headed out of the bedroo
m.

  The fish were filleted, the salad was chilling in the fridge, and potatoes were already baking on the grill. Ali moved one of the flowers in the centerpiece a hair to the left as she checked the clock. It was five minutes to seven. She was deciding if she should open a bottle of wine or wait to see if he preferred something else when she heard his truck pull up on the gravel drive.

  “Deep breath,” she whispered when her heart fluttered. In her nervous excitement, she turned to go meet him at the door. “Stop it. Don’t want to appear too eager. Or desperate,” Ali added, fiddling with the dinner plates.

  “Knock, knock,” Brad called through the screen door.

  “Hey, right on time.” She walked toward him at what she hoped was a normal pace and flipped the lock on the handle. Brad walked in, carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and a six pack in the other.

  “You look gorgeous, Alicia,” he said with a low whistle.

  “Thanks,” she replied, warmed as much by the look in his eyes as his words. He was looking pretty fine himself with his button down shirt and black slacks.

  “And I’m glad to see you’re being safe. We have very little crime up here, but a woman alone should always be careful.” He set the beverages on the kitchen counter. “I wasn’t sure what you might want to drink. Both of these are produced locally and favorites of mine.”

  “I’d love a glass of wine.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Alicia watched with interest as he put the beer in the fridge, grabbed two glasses out of a cupboard and pulled a corkscrew out of a drawer.

  “Been here before, have you?”

  “I lived here for almost six months while my house was being built. If renters move stuff around, Aunt Dottie always makes sure things are back in place after they leave. I can’t understand, though, why anyone wants to mess with such a perfect set up. Everything in here is exactly where it needs to be; the cottage has a perfect flow. One time I asked her where she learned about feng-shui.” He laughed as he pulled the cork out of the bottle. “She told me, ‘There’s nothing to learn if a person simply pays attention to the natural energies around them.’”